Walt Disney Co has confirmed that the company’s streaming service, Disney+, will launch in South Africa “during the South African winter”.
According to the company, Disney+ will be available in 42 new countries and 11 new territories simultaneously. South Africa, Poland, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates will be among the new countries.
Walt Disney Co has not yet revealed pricing for Disney+ in South Africa; in the United States, the service goes for US$7.99 per month or US$79.99 per year.
The move signals a significant expansion for Disney+, vying for global market share with bigger rival Netflix. Disney+ has only been accessible in 18 countries around the world so far.
As of October 2, 2021, Disney+ had 118.1 million subscribers globally, compared to Netflix’s most current subscriber count of 221.8 million as of December 31, 2021.
Outside of South Africa, Egypt will be the only other African country to get Disney+ for the time being. It will also be available on the distant South Atlantic island of St Helena (a British protectorate), where Google just deployed their new Equiano submarine cable system.
The upcoming debut in South Africa will add to the already extensive list of streaming content services available to local viewers with high-speed Internet access in their homes.
South Africans already have access to various local and international streaming platforms, including BritBox from the BBC and ITV, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. In addition, MultiChoice Group’s Showmax and eMedia Holding’s eVOD are part of the local streaming services.
